NEC/OSHO/AHJ

[wireday]

I am working in a manufacturing plant.Having a discussion with Safety manager about required motor disconnects/etc.During our talk Safety manager tells me that my NEC isnt the law and they will check there OSHA book for the answer.I am not up on OSHA requirements,I would assume if OSHA were ever called to a facility they would use the current NEC code to evaluate any issues.I have also heard over the years that the Safety manager of a Plant would have AHJ and anything they say to do will be done.If anyone has info to enlighten me I would love to hear,Thanks

 

[rbalex]

The NEC is the law as adopted locally or, in some cases, at the State level. Fed or StateOSHA's can and do enforce the latest NEC under their various "general duty" clauses since they are considered to be industry consensus standards. [Edit add] There may be some "grandfathering" issues to consider.

If your safety officer sees their job being how to avoid safety standards - they aren't doing their job.

 

[Fnewman]

I most cases, OSHA is looking for NEC compliance plus whatever other personal protection standards are found in their regulations. In other words OSHA, as far as I know, has never written a code parallel, and to be used instead of, the NEC. All that said, those standards are still the minimum and an industrial plant's management can require that additional safety equipment be installed as long as it is not in direct violation of the NEC or OSHA regulations. For example, some plants may require a local disconnect for conveyors, etc., even though the disconnect in a Motor Control Center may be the only one required by the code.

 

[petersonra]

I am working in a manufacturing plant.Having a discussion with Safety manager about required motor disconnects/etc.During our talk Safety manager tells me that my NEC isnt the law and they will check there OSHA book for the answer.I am not up on OSHA requirements,I would assume if OSHA were ever called to a facility they would use the current NEC code to evaluate any issues.I have also heard over the years that the Safety manager of a Plant would have AHJ and anything they say to do will be done.If anyone has info to enlighten me I would love to hear,Thanks

He is right about the NEC not being the law. However, most states (or localities) have enacted laws requiring compliance with the NEC.

OSHA sort of requires compliance with the NEC in a roundabout way.

The safety manager of a privately owned plant CANNOT be the AHJ. It is possible in a government owned plant, but unlikely.

 

[Smart $]

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=19269&p_table=FEDERAL_REGISTER

http://www.ishn.com/articles/101319-how-osha-will-enforce-nfpa-70e-2015

 

[Smart $]

...
If your safety officer sees their job being how to avoid safety standards - they aren't doing their job.

+1

:happyyes:

 

[steve66]

Most likely both the NEC and OSHA would apply. The NEC leans a little more toward installation requirements, while OSHA leans more toward overall workplace safety.

 

[steve66]

The safety manager of a privately owned plant CANNOT be the AHJ. It is possible in a government owned plant, but unlikely.

Why not? What if there aren't any other official government inspectors, or anyone else that does inspections?

Better to have the safety officer as the AHJ than no AHJ at all.

 

[petersonra]

Why not? What if there aren't any other official government inspectors, or anyone else that does inspections?

Better to have the safety officer as the AHJ than no AHJ at all.

I take it back. The safety manager of a private plant could be the AHJ IF there is no state or local law requiring compliance with the NEC and the plant designated him as the AHJ. Not a real likely circumstance, but I suppose it is "possible".

It is not about inspections at all. Inspectors are not the AHJ, despite what many people, including a fair number of inspectors, saying and even thinking they are, although again, i think you could create a scenario where it "could" happen.

 

[Jraef]

I believe that in some states, government AHJs are not required to inspect installations in large privately owned facilities that have their own staff engineering support and supervision. I'm taking this from Boeing in Washington state not requiring local government AHJ inspections of internal construction projects I worked on. There were AHJs, but they were BOEING AHJs. Everything still had to be to the NEC and OSHA rules, but quite honestly, most of the OSHA rules are much much more loosey goosey when it comes to details such as those found in the NEC.

Specific to the motor disconnect issue however, OSHA covers this as more of a PROCEDURAL issue under Lock-Out/Tag-Out as described in 1910.147. They have definitions for the different devices in general, Controller, Disconnect and Isolating Switch for example, and they DON'T accept a motor contactor as a safety device, etc. etc., but they don't go into details of how it is mounted, wired or listed. The NEC does.